Mary Spice Kerr - Autumn Yellow

  • Autumn Yellow
  • Oil on Panel
  • 12 x 16 in
  • CAD $800.00
  • Loch Gallery, Calgary


initialled, and on verso signed, titled and inscribed


Mary Spice was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan in 1905. With a deep passion for art and literature, she pursued studies at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, before continuing her education in England. There, she completed her Master of Arts thesis on the impact of the Great Depression on the novel. While in England, she met Saskatchewan-born artist Illingworth Kerr. The couple married in Ontario in 1938, and the early years of their marriage were spent in France. When World War II began, they returned to Canada and settled in Vancouver. Here, Mary worked as a librarian at the University of British Columbia and became actively involved with the Federation of Canadian Artists, serving as its secretary. Later, when they moved to Calgary, she worked at the Calgary Public Library and began to explore painting herself.

 

Although largely self-taught, Mary was surrounded by the world of fine art, and often accompanied her husband on sketching trips. Illingworth praised her sense of colour and design, describing it as exceptional, though "somewhat primitive." He noted that while she struggled with perspective, Mary developed a distinctive approach to colour and composition that was uniquely her own. He also remarked that Mary never considered herself a professional artist, preferring instead to support his career while keeping her own artistic pursuits in the background.

More Artwork from this Artist

  • Autumn Yellow

  • Oil on Panel
  • 12 x 16 in
  • CAD $800.00

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